Hidden In Plain Sight
by cucumber fairy
Summary: Kim/Jared story. Kim sat next to Jared every day in school, pining after him from afar. One day that all changes, but who ever said change was easy.
1. Chapter 1

Ch. 1

Beep. Beep. Beep. I groaned and rolled over, shutting off the alarm. I did not want to wake up today, but I stretched and got up anyway, then stumbled to the bathroom bleary-eyed and grabbed a quick shower. I came back to my room awake and put on some music. Jazz filled the air. An odd choice for a teenager, I know, but my mom had always had jazz or big band playing and after she died I couldn't stand the silence, having the music on made her seem closer somehow.

I pulled on a pair of jeans and a fitted tee, then quickly did my makeup. Looking at myself in the mirror, I sighed. I was no beauty, that was certain. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I thought I was ugly or anything, but anyone could see I was plain. I had straight, black hair, narrow eyes and a broad face, although makeup helped, it wasn't a miracle worker. I was thin, but by no means skinny, sports weren't really my thing. I slipped into a pair of flats and grabbed a few chunky bracelets before snagging my messenger bag on the way out. I was halfway down the hall, when I stopped short and hurried back to my room. I picked up some of my mom's necklaces and put them on. Now I was ready.

I opened my sister's door on the way to the kitchen and peeked in. Of course, she was still asleep. I went in.

"Amber" I said, no response, "Come on, get up. I know you can hear me." still nothing. "Amber if you don't get up now, I will sing" I said forcefully.

"Alright, alright, I'm up, don't sing." She said groggily, still under the covers.

"Yeah, yeah, sure you are. Come on, you don't want to be late."

"Not like it would kill me to be late every once in a while." She mumbled under her breath as she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

I smiled and closed the door, continuing on my quest for nourishment.

Once in the kitchen, I dropped my bag and played one of my mom's favorite cds, then raided the fridge and bit into a peach. I was nearly finished when Amber came down still half asleep. She grabbed a bowl of cereal and plopped down at the table. She looked fantastic, like always. I was pretty certain she got all of the beautiful genes in our family, or at least that was half the reason. I had formed a theory that the other half of the reason she looked great was that as an aspiring photographer, she was generally aware of appearances.

I threw away my peach pit and headed to the bathroom to apply my makeup. Before long, Amber joined me.

"Hey Kim"

"Yeah"

"I'm going over to Tiff's after school and sleeping over."

"Okay, what time will you be back?"

"Somewhere between 2 and 4"

"Alright," I finished my makeup. "You have 5 minutes before I leave." She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there, I always am."

"One of these days, you're going to be late and you won't have a ride to school." I said with mock seriousness.

"Sure" she said smiling and turned back to the mirror, knowing I would never actually do it.

Out in my car, I turned on the radio and waited for amber. She wasn't long and soon we were on our way to school. In the parking lot Amber turned to me with mischief sparkling in her eyes.

"I notice Jared's car isn't here today Kim. Wherever could he be?" She asked with fake innocence.

I rolled my eyes and looked back at the road. I admit my crush on Jared last year was a little over the top, and she never lost a chance to tease me about it.

"Your guess is as good as mine." I answered.

"You should hear the rumors going around." She said. "Some people say it was a family emergency, others think he has mono, a few are even saying he was arrested."

I laughed at that one, but it just shows what people will do for something to talk about in a small town.

We headed into the school and I went to my locker, spending as much time as I could getting my books. This was the worst part of the day; everyone got into their little groups and talked till the bell rang. I mean, I didn't mind being a loner, I preferred it, but not being part of a "group" I had to stand there awkwardly with nothing to do, unless I wanted to go to class early like a suck-up or teacher's pet.

Eventually the bell rang and headed off to home room. I tried to pay attention and take notes in class, but the day passed as a boring blur. It dragged on for what seemed like forever. Finally the last bell rang and I was free to leave. I climbed into my beat up Camry and headed home. Once there, I finished up the little homework I had left and started dinner. I was just finishing up when my dad got home.

"Hey Dad, dinner is almost ready."

"Alright," He said absently then went to the living room and watched TV, barely acknowledging me.

"I quickly finished dinner and called my dad into eat.

Dinner was a silent affair, no surprise there. It was over almost before it started and I was left with the dishes after Dad left the house. I felt tears begin to overflow onto my cheeks and wiped them away determinedly. I had cried over this enough already. You'd think I would have learned by now, but every time my dad refused to look me in the eye, every time he ignored Amber or me, I felt a pang in my heart. I missed my dad. Losing Mom had been hard on us all, she was the glue that held our family together, without her we fell apart. By checking out of life, we not only lost Mom, but Dad as well. Before the accident he was always cracking corny jokes no one else found funny, he did things with Amber and I, he was all around a great dad. Now he wouldn't even look at us because of our resemblance to her. He wasn't even home most of the time because there was no room in the house you could go into without seeing her. Her personality was reflected in the contrasting colors, the paintings on the walls: she had put her special touch in every room as she decorated; the eclectic items on display portrayed the different aspects of her personality. She was truly one of a kind, and when she left, there was a huge hole that nothing could even come close to filling.

I put the last dish away and went to the art studio. This was the room I felt reflected her the most. It was here that she had spent most of the time, there were paintings, drawings, sketches and photographs made by her everywhere. It was something of an organized mess. There was a dark room in one corner, paintings scattered here and there, finished and unfinished, and a wall covered in shelves full of supplies.

I browsed through the shelves and selected the paints I wanted, then pulled out my most recent painting and set to work.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch.2

The door slammed, bringing me out of the trance-like state I often slipped into while painting. Dad was back early. These were the hardest nights; whenever Dad came home from the casino early, it meant he was missing Mom even more than usual. Most nights he left after dinner and didn't come home till 12 at the earliest. It was only 10:30, and when you took into account the hours drive, he had left before things even got started. I started cleaning up quietly knowing he wouldn't want any disturbances. By the time I was done cleaning it sounded like he was settled for the night. I crept down the hallway, locked the doors and started turning off the lights. I went back down the dim hallway to reach my room, but as I passed my dad's door it opened. His agonized face and pain filled eyes stared at me unseeing, yet boring into my soul. Tears pricked my eyes; I turned and ran down the hallway hitting the lights off blindly as sobs escaped me. I rushed into my dark room and closed the door behind me leaning into it and sinking down as the sobs took over. It hurt so much to see my dad like that, his eyes providing a glimpse of the agony and torture he was going through without Mom. An agony I knew was reflected in my soul, and Amber's as well. Everything was messed up with Mom gone, our life had fallen apart and I knew we would never regain the happiness that had left with her. But nothing Dad was doing was helping in the least! He left us every night to deal with our pain alone as he squandered away the money we needed, for food, the bills, repair around the house and other necessities. Not only was he not helping us, he was making it worse!

I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself and reminded myself that getting angry at him wouldn't help matters. I wiped away my tears and attempted to pull myself together, then forced myself to get up and ready for bed. I laid down, keeping more tears at bay and tried desperately not to think. I only partially succeeded. My mind required force at times to stop thinking on some subjects, but eventually it accepted its fate and I fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up early and went to work. I drove up to the gas station 5 minutes early. I know, not the most glamorous job, but money is money. I headed in, took my place behind the counter as the previous worker left and prepared for a long, boring day.

Customers came and went, nothing breaking the monotony of the day. I glanced at the clock for the hundredth time, only half an hour left. I closed my eyes and wished the remaining 30 minutes would fly by, and I would scarcely notice their passing, but knew it would take a miracle for that to happen. The bell above the door rang and I opened my eyes to none other than Jared Mason. His gaze immediately held me captive and I could swear my heart nearly stopped beating as I stared into those deep chocolate brown eyes of his. Those eyes seemed to be communicating the world to me, penetrating into my very soul. The strangest feeling came over me, I felt whole, complete, content. I felt like I belonged. I'm not sure how long we stood there just looking into each others eyes, time ceased to have meaning.

Then someone punched Jared, breaking the moment. I realized belatedly that Paul was with Jared, and I immediately looked at the floor, embarrassed, confused and disoriented. What had just happened? I glanced at Jared, and swiftly looked away again. He was looking at me with a strange expression on his face that I wasn't sure I wanted to decipher. Yet, my eyes were drawn back to Jared. I had no control over them. I was thankful when Paul stepped up to the counter to pay for his gas, demanding my attention, but my disloyal eyes kept sliding back to Jared, and distracting me from the job at hand. It took all my concentration to focus on what I was doing; working the cash register had never been so hard. My mind kept wandering to Jared standing a few feet from me and my eyes refused to stay where they should. Although I must say, I couldn't blame them too much. Even with my distraction, it was impossible to miss the impatience written all over Paul's face. I eventually finished and Paul almost dragged Jared out the door and into the car.

As they drove away another customer came to the counter and I quickly rang up their purchase. My mind felt sluggish and dazed, but it wasn't necessarily a bad feeling. My dazed state of mind continued and before I knew it, I was free to leave. On the drive home I was struck with an astounding thought. My wish had been granted, and only seconds after it was made. I hadn't even noticed as that half hour passed, and somehow I knew with an unyielding certainty at the center of my being, that my life had been changed forever.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch.3

When I got home I ate lunch and cleaned the house on automaton. My mind was working overtime trying to find a rational explanation for whatever it was that had happened. I relived the scene that had been burned into my memory for the hundredth time today, but to no avail. I could make no sense of it. The more I tried to figure it out the more confused I became. It was mystifying; I had been in almost every class with him since kindergarten, then one day he looks at me and something changes; although what that was still eluded me. I finished cleaning and started on the laundry, all the while puzzling over that strange occurrence. I stewed over it all day, but was no closer to a sense of understanding than when I had started; if anything I understood even less.

Amber had been sending me odd looks throughout the day, a few times I was certain she would question me, but she never did. After dinner, when we were doing the dishes she finally asked, what I knew had been burning inside her.

"Kim?"

"Hmmmm?"

"What happened today? You've been acting weird all day."

"Nothing really"

"Oh come on, like I'm going to believe that. I know you Kim. What happened?"

I debated on whether I should tell her or not. I knew she wouldn't give up easily, and lying was useless, she could always see right through me. I sighed and turned to her.

"Maybe something did happen." I said reluctantly.

"I knew it!" she exclaimed triumphantly, then got down to business. "Now tell me what it was."

"I'm not exactly sure what it was." I said still hesitant, but curious to hear her opinion on the matter.

"Just tell me what happened!" she said exasperated.

I related the events of the day, playing down a few things and skipping one or two things, but she got the overall effect; after all she was my sister.

"Wow, that's really…, wow."

"I know, and for the life of me I can't figure it out." I said frustrated.

She stood there for a moment sifting through the information in an attempt to find a motive, but came up empty.

"I don't know Kim, I've never heard of anything like it." then she smiled, " But it must be good!"

"What do you mean?" I asked completely bewildered by her change in attitude.

"Think about it; Jared has noticed you, and you know what they say, 'Any publicity is good publicity.'" She said excited.

"Amber, you know as well as I do that that is a load of crap, and besides I'm sure that isn't the case. He probably was sick and is still out of it from the medicine they gave him."

"Kim, that's the load of crap." She said, knowing I pulled that one out of thin air. "I'm right, he's finally realized what a beautiful, smart, funny person you are and was dumbstruck when he saw you again after how long he was gone. You'll see. It's the only plausible explanation."

"You're wrong, that is the most absurd idea ever. It's impossible." I said with conviction.

"I guess we'll find out on Monday then won't we." She said with a determined glint in her eye.

"I guess we will." I said equally determined.

"And when I'm right, you're going to get a gallon of ice cream at the store."

I laughed at that, she had an addiction to ice cream. "Deal" I agreed, positive she was wrong.

She didn't laugh, and with a most serious expression on her face she held out her hand. I took it and as we shook on it she looked me in the eye and said "Deal", before walking out of the room. Call me crazy, but watching her stride confidently out of the room, I actually felt a tiny sliver of fear that she might be right. I shook it off and put the last of the dishes away. Praying she wouldn't do anything embarrassing trying to win the ice cream.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4

Sunday rolled around and found me taking full advantage of the day of rest. I slept in till 9:30, not wanting to waste too much of such a beautiful day. The sun was shining and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. I quickly ate breakfast and packed a lunch before heading out the door with may messenger bag full of paints in hand. I drove through the woods until I found the spot I was looking for. I parked on the side of the road and started down the green, semi-overgrown path until I reached a small, abandoned strip of the beach. I stood for a moment, soaking in the beauty, before unpacking. I set up the paints and pulled out a small canvas, then set to work on trying to capture the beauty, stillness and peace of this place.

I painted, and lost track of the time, caught up in my own little world, then a sense of something reached me. I sat up ramrod straight and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. Someone was here. I whirled around, for a moment I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but as I looked closer I saw someone standing there. When they realized they were seen, they started moving forward and as he came closer I recognized him. It was none other then Jared. I felt panic rise inside me. Why was he here? What was I supposed to do? I almost wished he would disappear, but he kept coming. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, and when I judged he was within hearing distance, I called out. "Jared, what are you doing here?"

"I was just going out for a run, and saw someone over here, so I thought I would see what they were doing."

He had reached me, and looked around him to where he had been, then looked at him dubiously. "You could see from there?"

He turned to look as well, then faced me again with a chagrined look on his face.

"Yeah, well I have good eyesight." He said and quickly changed the subject. "What are you doing?"

I looked at the paints strewn around me. "It's not obvious?"

He laughed. "I guess it is. May I see?" He asked gesturing toward the painting.

I nodded and handed him the painting. He looked at it for a moment, then at the vista before us and back at the painting.

"Wow Kim, this is amazing." He said, the sincerity tangible in every word.

"Thanks" I said with a small smile, blushing a little at his praise.

The morning was filled with talking and laughing and teasing. Something about Jared set me at ease, he was easy to talk to and fun to be around. Before I knew it the morning was gone and my stomach was growling.

"You hungry?" Jared asked laughing.

I blushed, but laughed along with him. "Would you like some lunch?"

"I never turn down food." He said smiling.

I smiled back. "I didn't pack very much, but it should be enough." I told him as I rummaged through my bag. "Aha" I exclaimed as I pulled out the brown paper bag.

"What would you like, there's peanut butter and jelly, chips and an apple."

"That's all you brought? I can't take anything, that's barely enough for you." He surprised at the amount of food, but adamant in his decision.

"No, take some, I don't eat all of it anyway." I insisted.

"I don't believe you." He said firmly. I could see I would get nowhere by pressuring him. I took an apple and bit into it.

"Fine then, but I'm telling you I won't finish it all." I told him. He didn't appear convinced.

I finished the apple and a bite out of the sandwich before setting it down.

"You can't be done!" He said incredulously.

"I'm not that hungry." I said fibbing just a little. I wasn't extremely hungry, in truth, but I could've easily finished everything I packed. I could tell Jared still didn't believe me, but I felt certain that after a while his stomach would get the best of him.

I was right of course. Before too long the call of that food was too much for him.

"You're sure you're not going to eat it?" he asked, eyeing the food.

"I'm sure."

I smiled, then gaped as he wolfed down the sandwich and chips in 5 seconds.

"Hungry much?" I asked him, still amazed.

He smiled sheepishly then changed the subject. "I didn't mean to keep you from your painting."

"It's fine." I assured him, waving away his concern.

"No, I mean it, keep painting. I'll watch."

I looked at him warily, before acquiescing and turned to my painting. It was hard to concentrate. I was only too aware of his eyes on me, but it didn't take long for the magic of creating a picture drew me in. I lost myself in it, but never lost the knowledge or awareness that Jared was there.

My cell phone rang, jolting me out of the trance. It was Amber.

"Yeah?" I said looking at Jared then away quickly.

"Kim, where are you? You're supposed to take me to the Hunters'." she said annoyed.

"Oh gosh Amber, I'm so sorry. I lost track of the time, I'll be there in a second. Call and tell them you're going to be late, but make sure they know it's my fault. Okay?"

"Sure, but hurry" she said before hanging up.

I looked at Jared. "I'm sorry, I have to go, my little sister needs a ride to her babysitting job."

"Okay let me help you pack up." He said, and I thought I saw a trace of disappointment in his face, but maybe it was my imagination.

"Thanks" I told him, extremely grateful for the help. "Is your car parked around here?" I asked as I started frantically throwing things in my bag.

"Slow down," he said, taking a hold of my hands. "breaking your things won't help anything, and no, my car isn't here. I was running, remember?"

"Oh yeah," I said breathless from the contact, then my brain caught up to present and I pulled my hands out of his. Hurt filled his face briefly, but he hid it so quickly, I was sure I imagined it. I looked away and started gathering my belongings again.

"Do you need a ride then?" I asked, still not looking at him.

"Yeah, that'd be good."

I could hear the smile in his voice and one automatically appeared on my face as well.

"Okay then, let's go." I said slinging the bag on my shoulder.

"Let me get that." He said, reaching for my bag.

"Thanks" I said letting him take it. The smile on my face grew even larger.

We hiked through the forest for a minute or so before we reached the car.

"You can just set the bag in the backseat." I told him as I headed around to the driver's seat. I started the car and we were off. I speeded home and found Amber standing there with a very disgruntled look on her face, that is, until she saw who was in the car with me. Then her face transformed into a look of surprise, satisfaction and determination. The determination I was sure was for the interrogation she would give me later tonight. I pulled up to the drive way and she hopped in.

"I'm sorry Amber. You called the Hunters?" I asked as we sped away.

"Yes, try to be on time next time." She said trying to sound annoyed, but I could hear the pleasure in her voice.

"I'll remember." I said giving her a knowing look through the mirror. She just smiled.

We pulled up to the Hunters' house and she got out.

"Be safe" I called to her.

"I will, have fun Kim." She said giving me a pointed look, then turned and went into the house.

I rolled my eyes and drove away, then turned to Jared. "Do you want me to drop you off at your house?" I asked.

"Sure, thanks. Do you know where it is?"

I gave him a disbelieving look. "You're kidding right? In this town everyone knows where everyone lives."

He smiled. "Just checking."

We were silent for a moment, then Jared looked at me. "You and your sister are close, aren't you?"

"Yeah, we are." I said thinking. I was lucky and I knew it.

We pulled up to his house.

"Thanks for the ride." Jared said as he got out.

"Anytime." I answered. His face lit up.

"I may have to take you up on that." He said in a teasing tone.

My brain functioning stopped. I fumbled trying to recover control.

"Of course, that means you'll have to do the same for me." I mentally slapped myself as the words came out of my mouth.

"It's a deal then." He said holding out his hand with a big smile.

"Deal" I said shaking it, a ridiculous smile spreading across my face.

Then he walked into the house and I drove away.

"Kim, how stupid can you be?" I groaned and wished I could beat my head on something; unfortunately, I was too safe of a driver to do anything of the sort. "You practically demanded he give you rides when you need them! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!" but despite my continued thoughts, that smile wouldn't go away.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5

When I got home I ate a quick supper and headed to work. Standing there gave me way too much time to think. I would get my hopes up, then talk myself out of them and berate myself for things I said or did, in an endless cycle. It was pure torture. I don't think I've ever been so glad to see Jen, the annoying girl who was working next. I hurried out of there, and went to the Hunter's to pick up Amber.

I pulled into the driveway just after the Hunters and got out.

"Hi Kim,"

"Hi Mrs. Hunter, did you have fun tonight?"

"Oh yes, any night we have away is fun." She said smiling at her husband.

I smiled too and followed them through the door. They talked to Amber for a minute, asking if the little devils had behaved and the like. I motioned to Amber that I'd be out in the car, she nodded slightly and I left. It wasn't long before she came out and as soon as we were moving she commenced her interrogation.

"Kim," she said with a huge smile on her face, "what was Jared doing in our car?"

"We ran into each other and he needed a ride."

"Uhhuh," she said still smiling, clearly not believing my story. "I don't suppose he was the reason you were late picking me up."

I smiled and glanced at her "He may have been."

Her smile got even bigger "Oooh, Kim! This is so exciting!"

I stared at the road.

"Oh, don't even pretend you're not jumping for joy. I know you better than that."

I gave her a quick smile then turned back to the road.

She chattered the whole way home, but I didn't hear much of it. I nodded at the appropriate points and smiled when I deemed it fitting, but I was lost in my own world.

I didn't know what to make of Jared. I had had a crush on him for as long as I could remember, it had waxed and waned, but it had always been there. It was safe; safe because I had always known he would never look twice at me, nothing would ever come of it. Now I wasn't sure what to think. He was talking to me and we were becoming friends, of sorts. The things I had taken for granted were changing, and I didn't know how to deal with it. I would be lying if said a part of me wasn't ecstatic, you don't dream about a boy for all your life, and not be excited when he started to notice you, but a much larger part of me was scared stiff.

"Kim? Kim?" Amber's calling broke through my thoughts.

"What?"

"Are you alright?" she asked looking concerned.

"Yeah, just thinking" I said giving her an unconvincing smile.

"Come on, what's wrong."

I sighed "I don't know what to do. Having a crush on Jared was safe, I didn't have to worry about getting hurt because we didn't talk, now that we are, I'm scared." I looked at her and saw sympathy in her eyes. "I just don't know anymore."

"It's okay to be scared Kim, you just can't let that hold you back. I know you have a hard time letting people in, but there's a difference between being careful and walling yourself off. Talk to him, get to know him, let yourself become friends with him, and if it develops into something more go with it."

'How'd I end up with such a smart little sister" I said smiling.

We pulled in the driveway, and I reached over and gave her a hug.

"Thanks Amber, I'll try."

"You're welcome"

It was late so when we got home both of us went straight to bed, but I couldn't sleep. I knew Amber was right, I needed to open up, but knowing it and doing it were two different things. Besides, how was I supposed to know he was trustworthy, I hardly knew him. Of, course, to get to know someone you had to spend time with them, which was in essence what Amber was telling me to do; give him a chance.

I would do it, I decided. I would spend time with him and get to know him. I would; provided that's what he wanted. Maybe he was just being nice by talking to me and I was blowing this way out of proportion. Maybe he didn't mean anything by it, he was just being the polite, friendly guy he was. I was just reading something into it that wasn't there. Then again, he might be truly interested in getting to know me. Would that be so hard to believe? Did someone have to have ulterior motives to talk to me? Was I such a boring person that no one could genuinely be interested in me? No! I was a person in my own right. I was smart and creative and interesting and the fact that someone might be noticing that should not evoke doubt and suspicion from my mind. I should not be surprised; but I was and I was disappointed in myself. I knew in my head that I was worth something but convincing my heart of that was another story entirely.

I did my best that night to believe that I did have great value, but it's hard when you know that only one person in the whole world would miss you when you left. Never the less, I did attempt it and in some measure I think I succeeded.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch. 6

`I woke up Monday morning determined to be confident and if Jared really did want to get to know me, I would welcome the opportunity. I got in the shower and tried to decide what I would wear but not over think it. I headed back to my room and put some jazz on. I pulled out my favorite pair of skinny jeans and put on a bright yellow top that flattered my figure. As I took my time applying makeup I could feel butterflies doing flips in my stomach and took a deep breath to try and calm myself. _Kim, just breathe. If Jared talks to you today you will be yourself and if he doesn't you will still hold your head high because no matter what Jared does today, you are valuable and will act like it, right? Right._

I put on some orange bracelets and a few necklaces and looked at my reflection. I looked good, and I felt it too. Today would be a good day. Then I grabbed my messenger bag and put on a pair of flats on the way out.

I stopped in Amber's room for a second and was surprised to find the bed empty; then I remembered, I had spent quite a bit of time getting ready this morning, no doubt she was already in the shower.

I continued on to the kitchen and grabbed a bowl of cereal. Amber came down before too long, looking completely awake.

"Good morning" I said as she sat down.

"Good morning, do you know what day it is?" she asked playfully.

"Why no, as a matter of fact I don't please enlighten me." I told her, being as dramatic as possible.

"It's Monday, and do you know what Monday is?" She said with a huge smile on her face.

"Do tell" I said with mock anticipation.

"This is the day we decide about Jared and I get my ice cream."

"Oh you get your ice cream do you? I was sure you the deal was you get the ice cream if you're right."

"But I am," She said matter of factly. I opened my mouth to protest but she cut me off. "However I know you will need reassurance, so the ice cream can wait till after school."

"How very generous of you." I told her, the sarcasm thick in my voice.

"I thought so." She said with a satisfied smile.

"Uh huh, come on, you've got five minutes before I leave."

"Yeah, yeah."

I went to the car and tried to keep my mind focused on the music; a lost cause. My thoughts ran away with me, I conjured up terrible scenarios where I humiliated myself in front of Jared and he never talked to me again, scenarios of when he did talk to me and conversations played out in my head, then back to the embarrassing, horrible scenes. My mind was going a mile a minute; I tried desperately to slow it down reminding myself of my resolution, whatever happened I would be confident, what Jared did would not change how I felt about myself, if he didn't want to get to know me it would be his loss, he would be the one missing out. Of course, I would be missing out too, he was a great guy…. Hold it right there Kim, that's not a thought not follow through on, you will be strong, you're worth it and Jared won't change that.

Thankfully Amber came out before I had a chance to return to the Jared thoughts. We pulled out and were on our way to school, with Amber sending me knowing smiles the whole way. I did my best to ignore her. Finally we parked and Amber got out.

"Good luck today!" She called back to me with a mischievous grin.

I just rolled my eyes at her, a laugh floated back to me. I faced the school, took a deep breath and steeled myself before heading in.

I walked to my locker, all the while praying I looked normal and trying without success to calm my pounding heart. I reached my locker without incident and started gathering the books I needed. The most dreadful time of day was made worse by the nervous energy racing through my body. I leaned against my locker and closed my eyes trying to regain the confidence and clam that had left me in such a rush.

My muscles began to relax and a contented smile appeared on my face as I allowed peace and confidence to flow over me. I opened my eyes ready to face the day and was met with Jared's gorgeous eyes. My breath caught in my throat for a moment before I regained control.

"How long have you been standing there?" I asked afraid to hear his answer.

"Not long" He said with his signature smile, but I was skeptical. "What were you doing?"

"Thinking" I told him smiling back.

"About what?"

"My brilliant thoughts cannot be condensed to the short time we have before class starts." I told him jokingly.

He laughed but seemed slightly on edge. "Well maybe you can tell me tomorrow night, if you're not busy that is?" He asked with a touch of nervousness evident in his expression.

I was shocked. "I'm not busy." I was able to get out in a slightly breathy voice.

"Great!" He said with a gigantic smile. "I'll pick you up at seven."

I barely managed to nod my head. The bell rang at that moment and he gave me another smile and a "see ya" before going off to class. I stood there for another second, before my jumbled thoughts became coherent, then scurried to class with one thought ringing in my head. I had a date with Jared Mason!


	7. Chapter 7

Ch. 7

I was utterly unable to concentrate the rest of the day. My thoughts were entirely occupied by Jared and I was on cloud nine. The world was a wonderful place. The usual dreariness surrounding the town was replaced by a beautiful, bright feeling that I couldn't help but expressing. My smile would not be wiped from my face, not that I tried terribly hard anyway. Nothing bad could happen in the world, everything was perfect. I floated through class blissfully unaware of everything happening around me, well, all of them except the classes Jared was in, and I still wasn't aware of anything but him. Before class started Jared and I would half tease, half flirt with each other. I didn't know what to call it exactly, but I was too happy to care. Then, once class had begun I would try in vain to pay attention to the teacher and not stare at Jared, but my eyes all too often committed treachery and snuck a peek at Jared, which was inevitably returning. I was the happiest I could remember being.

When school was over Jared met me outside my class and walked me to my car where Amber was waiting. We parted ways with a "see you later" and I could see the triumphant gloating in Amber's face that I knew would soon be vocalized. I didn't have long to wait, before I even started the engine she let loose a high pitched squeal that reflected my feelings perfectly, then a torrent of words poured forth at a rate impossible to decipher. Eventually she slowed down enough for me to catch a few words here and there.

"He…? You…? She made distinguishable through the flood of sounds.

"I have a date!" I told her in a decibel that I should never reach.

We squealed together, unable to curb the joy that charged the air.

"This calls for ice cream!" Amber declared smiling hugely.

We drove to the store and were unable to stop laughing and smiling even as we went in, though we didn't try very hard. Anyone who encountered us would have thought us insane, but this was a moment no one's opinion could dampen.

Amber could hardly wait to crack open her ice cream and quite frankly, neither could I. It was a day for celebrating! Our jubilant mood continued the entire day. We got out spoons and dug into the ice cream as I relayed the events of the day. Amber laughed, squealed and sighed in all the right places. We started dinner, talking and giggling as we prepared the meal together, before we knew it Dad was home and we tried to tone down the happiness for his sake, although it was in no way diminished, at least on my side. Amber was awesome, she listened to everything I said, even though I'm sure she started to get sick of hearing about Jared for so long, but she knew how much this meant to me. She had been there for all the pining when I had no hope of anything ever happening, and that something was her joy almost equaled mine. I couldn't have asked for a better sister and friend.

After dinner Amber went to her room to do homework and I was left to myself as I cleaned up. My mind replayed the events of the day over and over again. I couldn't stop smiling, and butterflies filled my stomach every time I thought of Jared's smile, my heart swelled every time I remembered what he said.

Suddenly I heard a loud crash as a pan slipped out of my hand into the sink, spraying water everywhere. I was soaked. I hurriedly finished the rest of the dishes, making sure to pay attention to what I was doing. Then I rushed to my room, anxious to get out of my wet clothes. I pulled on a pair of comfy sweats and grabbed a t-shirt before starting on my homework. I was done in half and hour and spent the rest of the night trying to sketch his eyes, but I couldn't do them justice. The soft music in the background eventually lulled me to sleep and I dreamed of those eyes.


End file.
